That package of fresh-looking meat in your shopping cart may be more complicated than it appears. Here’s what consumers should understand before choosing what to bring home.
Walking through the meat department of a supermarket can feel like one of the simplest parts of grocery shopping.
You look at the beef, chicken, turkey or pork. You compare prices. You check the sell-by or use-by date, examine the color, perhaps look at the amount of
visible fat, and choose the package that appears freshest.
For many shoppers, that is where the decision ends.
But there can be much more information hiding in plain sight—not necessarily secret or dangerous ingredients, but details that are easy to overlook when we make decisions based mainly on appearance.
Depending on the product and how it has been processed, meat and poultry sold in supermarkets may contain added water, salt, flavorings, curing agents or other ingredients intended to influence flavor, moisture, texture, preservation or shelf life.
